Homes in Ben Lomond
Ben Lomond real estate varies from lovely million dollar estate homes sited on sunny rolling hills of oak and pine, to steeper mountains with affordable cabins amongst the redwood trees. Ben Lomond is home to about 6,000 lucky people. Just 15 minutes' drive to either Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz, Ben Lomond residents enjoy dramatic mountain, valley and river scenery and a relaxed atmosphere ... plus all the benefits of two easily accessible small cities.
The downtown area features several restaurants, including the newest: Casa Nostra. The Italian food is lovely with outdoor seating amongst a redwood grove. Recent expansions include their less expensive pub-style menu in the Tap Room. Don't miss the La Placa Family Bakery featuring gourmet pastries and coffees plus pizza across the street. The Tyrolean Inn serves traditional German and Bavarian food and on Fridays usually has a wild game special. Spanky's is a great breakfast/lunch spot, and Coffee 9 serves up a tasty breakfast burrito as well as everything else you'd expect.
Ben Lomond Market is a delightful gourmand grocery, with a beautiful assortment of
The downtown area features several restaurants, including the newest: Casa Nostra. The Italian food is lovely with outdoor seating amongst a redwood grove. Recent expansions include their less expensive pub-style menu in the Tap Room. Don't miss the La Placa Family Bakery featuring gourmet pastries and coffees plus pizza across the street. The Tyrolean Inn serves traditional German and Bavarian food and on Fridays usually has a wild game special. Spanky's is a great breakfast/lunch spot, and Coffee 9 serves up a tasty breakfast burrito as well as everything else you'd expect.
Ben Lomond Market is a delightful gourmand grocery, with a beautiful assortment of
fresh produce, fresh sushi, a hot Chinese and Mexican buffet, fresh salad bar at $7.99/lb, and tasty ready to go dinners.
Ben Lomond has a post office and gas station, an antique store, hardware and lumber store, fire department, small library and a widely known local bar Henflings, recently remodeled and under new ownership with great food and live music. There's even live theater at the Park Hall, and a nice park alongside the San Lorenzo River. The Mountain Art Center offers local handmade art and gifts, rotating shows at it's gallery, and a plethora of classes from ceramics through painting and life drawing. There are two plant nurseries - The Plant Works has a variety of 6 pack annuals all the way to trees, while Mountain Feed and Farm Supply has everything you'd expect from the name, plus a fabulous collection of hard to find and healthy plants. Their merchandising is so beautiful and staff so knowledgeable that it's always a pleasure to shop there. They offer classes, and their staff is incredibly knowledgeable.
The topography of Ben Lomond is a delightful mix of hills covered in redwood forests and gently rolling oak savannahs, interspersed with ponderosa pine, bay, and madrone trees. Parts of the unincorporated town feature a rare habitat known as the Zayante Sand hills: a former seabed forced to the surface eons ago, generating flora and fauna both endangered and unique in the world.
The history of the town's name dates back to a Scottsman who named his mountain "Ben Lomond;" similarly the nearby reservoir is named "Loch Lomond," providing a place to canoe, paddle boat, fish and relax.
Highland Park has a sports field, Senior Center, tennis courts, and skateboarding park. It's nestled between Highway 9 which winds through the San Lorenzo Valley, and the San Lorenzo River: there is river access and picnic areas, plus a park where children play. The other major park is Quail Hollow, originally the ranch of the owners of the Sunset magazine, which popularized California outdoor lifestyle. Now the ranch house is available for rental for events, while the center also offers interpretive programs and the park itself is intertwined with stunning hiking trails.
Housing in Ben Lomond ranges from small cabins perched high in the redwood hills with prices starting around $500,000, all the way up to mini estates and horse ranches on acreage, priced in the seven figure range.
As you may have guessed from reading all that charming Ben Lomond has to offer, housing prices have steadily appreciated over the past few years. The average Ben Lomond home price in the final quarter of 2018 was $734,000 (2017 closed at $708,000, 2016's 4th quarter average price was $606,000.) Prices swings are affected by the mix of properties sold, particularly if there are more estates or serious fixer uppers than usual, since only about 10 to 15 homes sell in any given month.
Ben Lomond has a post office and gas station, an antique store, hardware and lumber store, fire department, small library and a widely known local bar Henflings, recently remodeled and under new ownership with great food and live music. There's even live theater at the Park Hall, and a nice park alongside the San Lorenzo River. The Mountain Art Center offers local handmade art and gifts, rotating shows at it's gallery, and a plethora of classes from ceramics through painting and life drawing. There are two plant nurseries - The Plant Works has a variety of 6 pack annuals all the way to trees, while Mountain Feed and Farm Supply has everything you'd expect from the name, plus a fabulous collection of hard to find and healthy plants. Their merchandising is so beautiful and staff so knowledgeable that it's always a pleasure to shop there. They offer classes, and their staff is incredibly knowledgeable.
The topography of Ben Lomond is a delightful mix of hills covered in redwood forests and gently rolling oak savannahs, interspersed with ponderosa pine, bay, and madrone trees. Parts of the unincorporated town feature a rare habitat known as the Zayante Sand hills: a former seabed forced to the surface eons ago, generating flora and fauna both endangered and unique in the world.
The history of the town's name dates back to a Scottsman who named his mountain "Ben Lomond;" similarly the nearby reservoir is named "Loch Lomond," providing a place to canoe, paddle boat, fish and relax.
Highland Park has a sports field, Senior Center, tennis courts, and skateboarding park. It's nestled between Highway 9 which winds through the San Lorenzo Valley, and the San Lorenzo River: there is river access and picnic areas, plus a park where children play. The other major park is Quail Hollow, originally the ranch of the owners of the Sunset magazine, which popularized California outdoor lifestyle. Now the ranch house is available for rental for events, while the center also offers interpretive programs and the park itself is intertwined with stunning hiking trails.
Housing in Ben Lomond ranges from small cabins perched high in the redwood hills with prices starting around $500,000, all the way up to mini estates and horse ranches on acreage, priced in the seven figure range.
As you may have guessed from reading all that charming Ben Lomond has to offer, housing prices have steadily appreciated over the past few years. The average Ben Lomond home price in the final quarter of 2018 was $734,000 (2017 closed at $708,000, 2016's 4th quarter average price was $606,000.) Prices swings are affected by the mix of properties sold, particularly if there are more estates or serious fixer uppers than usual, since only about 10 to 15 homes sell in any given month.
